This invention relates to a new and improved device for immobilizing a patient's head during emergency treatment or transport.
Emergency medical personnel are frequently called upon to treat patients who may have suffered injury to the cervical spine or may be at risk for cervical spine injury if not properly handled during treatment and transport. Conventionally, such patients are placed in a cervical extrication collar (e.g., those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 32,219) which restricts the patient's head from moving out of the vertical erect position. Often, however, such collars do not sufficiently restrict movement of the cervical spine. It is therefore desirable to use additional measures to restrict such movement.
Presently, emergency medical personnel use a variety of "jury-rigged" means to immobilize the patient's head, including placing sand bags or large foam blocks at the sides of the head. Previous devices include those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,777, 4,589,407, 4,594,999 and 4,718,412. Unfortunately, all of these devices are either cumbersome, ineffective or uneconomical for use in large numbers. Furthermore, previous devices also nearly cover the sides of the patient's head, thus prohibiting full assessment of the patient's condition which may deteriorate during transport.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,418 to Wilson discloses a device for immobilizing a patient's head when placed on a spine board. Such devices have been sold commercially under the tradename "HeadVise". Similar but distinct devices have also been sold by California Medical Products, Inc., Long Beach, Calif. under the tradename "HeadBed".
Jerome Emergency Medical Products, Mt. Laurel, N.J., has also sold a head immobilization device under the name "HedLoc". However, such product has certain disadvantages in use. First, the device contains a chin flap which impedes easy access to portions of the side of the patient's head and neck, such that once a patient has been placed in the device certain injuries in those areas may be unobservable or inaccessible for treatment without disrupting the desired immobilization of the patient's head. The HedLoc device also uses two hook and loop straps to secure the device to a spine board. To attach the device to the board these straps must be slid under the board and then tightened around the surface of the board. As a result, the device can only be placed on the board prior to positioning of a patient on the board; once a patient is placed on the board it is undesirable to move or lift the board in order to secure the device to the board under the patient's head. Additionally, the storage of a spine board with a previously attached device of this type is often not possible in an ambulance or other emergency vehicle due to extreme storage space limitations as a result of the increase in board thickness caused by the device.
The present invention overcomes certain drawbacks of the previous devices and provides effective, efficient and economical means for immobilizing a patient's head during treatment and transport.